Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a road vehicle safety device and in particular to a speed indicator for road vehicles.
Road safety is one of the major issues in society and excessive road speed is one of the major causes of accidents. In a briefing in 1995, the European Transport Safety Council stated xe2x80x9cno ways are yet known of using design to reduce inappropriate speedsxe2x80x9d. Road safety makes an impact on the lives of almost every citizen of the EU. In 1995 the total number of people killed in road accidents in the EU member states was more than 45,000 and the number of injuries was in excess of 1.6 million people. What makes these figures even more disturbing is that they indicate a clear improvement in road safety over previous years. It is estimated that 1 in 80 European citizens will end their lives almost 40 years prematurely due to road accidents and that another 1 in 3 will need hospital treatment during their lifetime as a result of such a road accident. If one then adds to this the direct cost of road accidents and cost in pain and suffering and lost economic output, it is estimated that the total cost of road accidents exceeded 162 billion ECUs in 1995 which was about twice the total budget for that year. What is happening in the EU is indicative of what is happening in all the developed nations and must, by its very nature, indicate quite clearly that as world prosperity increases, this problem will similarly increase.
It has long been recognised that speed is playing an increasing role in such road accidents as the incidence of drunk driving is reducing and driving skills are improving. A certain amount of the excess speed is not due to deliberate or willful neglect on behalf of drivers but due to general inattention to speed limits.
It has been proposed to install speed controllers or governors in motor cars which would prevent motor cars and other vehicles exceeding preset speeds. However, this has caused enormous controversy because it is not by any means clear-cut that installing speed governors would be the ideal way of achieving this aim because many experts maintain that there are times when vehicles require the necessary speed and power to avoid dangerous situations.
A further problem that needs to be addressed, once one accepts the vehicle speed is at the core of road accident problems is that there is a need to provide prior warning of speed limits to road users. The problem is that higher speed reduces the time available to avoid collision and makes the impact of a collision more severe; there is thus a need for more adequate warning of the need to reduce speed than has heretofore been provided.
There is also a general need to indicate to road users that an imminent change in speed limit is about to occur or that, even more importantly, while the particular speed limit imposed might be 45 Km per hour, that in the particular situation, it would be advisable to reduce the speed to, for example, 30 Km per hour.
Further for other necessary good objective reasons there is considerable pressure being exerted against any attempt by the authorities to impose rigid speed controllers on vehicles that would prevent them under any circumstances exceeding certain speeds. A further problem in any case with this is that speeds which are acceptable on motorways are not acceptable in built-up areas.
Further, while many drivers are becoming more careful and are driving with considerably more care, there is still the minority who do not obey the rules of the road and who consistently over-speed. For the other road users and in particular for pedestrians, it is often difficult to judge the speed of an approaching vehicle and anything that would assist in pedestrians judging the speed of an approaching vehicle would be advantageous. Indeed, anything that would allow drivers estimate the speed of other vehicles on the road would be extremely advantageous. Additionally, anything that would allow speed of a car to be accorded and analysed, not just simply on impact when an accident occurs which would undoubtedly be useful, but also possibly for the period immediately prior to the accident, such as, for example, the preceding half hour or so. However, these latter objects, while desirable, are not nearly as important as providing a safety device that would assist drivers in avoiding excessive speed. This is the primary object to which the present invention is directed.
There is further a need for some form of warning for drivers that they are approaching areas where speed should be reduced. The present invention is also directed towards this latter aim.
According to the invention, there is provided a speed limit indicator of the type comprising visual and/or audible indication means that a particular vehicle speed should not be exceeded on the particular zone of the roadway being travelled characterised in that the indication means comprises indicia of a plurality of colours affixed to the roadway, each chosen colour being indicative of a vehicle speed appropriate for a particular speed zone. By providing lines and other markings on the road all of the one colour, the motorist will be continually reminded of the speed limit that is required and since most people wish to obey the rules of the road, this will be exceedingly advantageous.
In one embodiment of the invention, all the roadway markings are of the chosen colour within that speed zone. The advantage of this is that in, for example, built-up areas, the same colour could be used not just simply for lane divisions and the like but could also be used for parking restriction indications such as commonly now provided by single or double yellow lines. Similarly, any other traffic markings such as turning arrows, access restricting boxes, stop lines behind signs, traffic lights, etc. could all be coloured the one colour and this would be a continual indication to the road user of the speed limit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the orientation of some of the lines on the roadway are inclined to the direction of travel along the roadway to indicate desirable changes in the chosen speed for that speed zone. The advantage of this is that by changing the orientation of the lines, it is possible to indicate, for example, that while the speed limit is 45 Km per hour, in this particular area it might be advisable to reduce the speed to, for example, 30 Km per hour.
Ideally, all the associated traffic information signs incorporate the colour appropriate to that speed zone. Again, by using all the one colour on all the traffic signs for a particular speed limit zone, you are further reminding the motorist of the speed limit.
In one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a speedometer for a vehicle which includes the same colours for its speed indicia as the chosen colours.
In one embodiment of the invention, the speed limit indicator comprises a sheet for affixing to the interior of a car within sight of a driver, said sheet having indicia printed thereon identifying the speed appropriate to the chosen colours. Ideally, the motorist should have something readily available that will alert him or her to the appropriate speed limit having regard to the colour being displayed.
In another embodiment of the invention, there is provided an indicator lamp in the car, which indicator lamp transmits light of the chosen colour appropriate to the speed being travelled. Again, alerting a driver to the actual speed being travelled within a particular zone is much more advantageous than simply using a speedometer since many a motorist does not consult the speedometer very often and indeed in many instances, it would be impractical to do so.
In a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided on the exterior of the car, an indicator lamp which transmits light of the colour appropriate to the speed being travelled.
In a still further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a receiver in the car associated with an indicator lamp which transmits light of different colours and a transmitter on the roadway for transmitting a speed limit signal to the receiver to cause the lamp to display the colour appropriate to the speed zone. With this particular embodiment of the invention, it is possible for the authorities to transmit to the vehicle the required speed limit for that particular area in which the vehicle is travelling.
Ideally, means are provided associated with the receiver to cause the light to operate intermittently indicating that the speed limit is being exceeded. Again, the driver has been alerted to the fact that he or she is exceeding the limit which can be extremely advantageous.
Ideally, there is an additional audible warning device of the speed limit being exceeded. Again, anything that alerts the driver to excessive speed is useful.
In another embodiment of the invention, light external of the car operate intermittently on the speed limit being exceeded. This has the advantage of alerting both other road users whether they be drivers or pedestrians of the fact that the approaching car is exceeding the speed limit. This can be of considerable advantage in built-up areas and will obviously be advantageous in the event of an accident taking place since the other road users will have some visual confirmation of, for example, their belief that a vehicle was exceeding the speed limit.
In another embodiment of the invention, the receiver incorporates memory means to retain the speed limit signal until another speed limit signal is received. The advantage of this is that if a car is being driven and then stops, when the car resumes travel, the speed limit information will still be retained in the vehicle so that the invention can operate satisfactorily.
In another embodiment of the invention, the memory means retains a record of the vehicle speed over a preset period of the vehicle travel time. The advantage of this is that in the event of an accident, there is a record of the speed of the vehicle, for example, prior to impact.